Michigan athletes bound for the Winter Olympics!

Posted on by farlane
Winter by Kevin Ryan

Winter by Kevin Ryan

CBS Detroit reports that there will be 17 Olympians from Michigan on Team USA out of the nearly 230 athletes we’re sending to Milan-Cortina, Italy. Athletes range from old timers like 5-time Olympian & gold medalist Nick Baumgartner or dual gold medal winning freestyle skier Kaila Kuhn to Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin to first time hopefuls. Best of luck to all these Team USA athletes!

  • Evan Bates, 36, Ann Arbor, Ice Dancing
  • Nick Baumgartner, 44, Iron River
  • Christina Carreira, 25, St. Clair, Ice Dancing
  • Madison Chock, 33, Redondo Beach, California, Ice Dancing
  • Kyle Connor, 29, Shelby Township, Ice Hockey
  • Connor Hellebuyck, 32, Commerce Township, Ice Hockey
  • Jack Hughes, 24, Canton, Ice Hockey
  • Quinn Hughes, 26, Canton, Ice Hockey
  • Megan Keller, 29, Farmington Hills, Ice Hockey
  • Vadym Kolesnik, 24, Novi, Ice Dancing
  • Kaila Kuhn, 22, Boyne City, Freestyle Skiing
  • Dylan Larkin, 29, Waterford Township, Ice Hockey
  • Kirsten Simms, 21, Plymouth, Ice Hockey
  • Jake Vedder, 27, Pickney, Snowboarding
  • Winter Vinecki, 27, Gaylord, Freestyle Skiing
  • Zach Werenski, 28, Grosse Pointe Woods, Ice Hockey
  • Emilea Zingas, 23, Grosse Pointe Farms, Ice Dancing

Kevin shared these photos from Mulligan’s Hollow in Grand Haven way back in 2010. Check out his Sports gallery on Flickr for lots more great shots!

UFO by Kevin Ryan
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One Hundred Years of Flying High at Suicide Hill

Posted on by farlane
Suicide Hill Ski Jump by Ishpeming Ski Club

Suicide Hill Ski Jump by Ishpeming Ski Club

The annual UP Ski Jumping Tournament is celebrating its its 139th anniversary this year January 16-18, 2026, and aptly named “Suicide Hill”, the longtime site of the tourney, will be celebrating its 100th anniversary!

The competition is hosted by the Ishpeming Ski Club every winter on MLK Weekend at the UP Nordic Ski Complex. It lasts three days and in addition to the marquee event, the club hosts Junior National Qualifiers, a cross-country ski race, and a Target Jump event where competitors try to land as close as possible to a predetermined mark on the hill. They also have bonfires, concessions, beer tent & fireworks show.

The Ski Club has some great information about the colorfully named Suicide Hill explaining:

Suicide Hill got its name when in 1926 Walter “Huns” Anderson was injured on the hill. The local newspaper reporter, Ted Butler, said “Sure it’s a good hill, but why not have a little color about it. I gave it the name a few days before it was used in 1926. Walter Anderson fell in practice a few days before the meet and was badly hurt. In the stories I sent out about him, I called it Suicide Hill and the name stuck”. “We don’t like the name ‘Suicide Hill,” James Flaa, club official protested, “because it keeps riders away. It creates the wrong impression of what troubles await them”. Actually, it’s one of the best hills in the country. Even Johanna Kolstad, the fine Norwegian woman skier, says she has only seen one better hill in the country. But the name did stick, and it has turned out to be a fine, competitive, and safe hill.

Pure Michigan shared some pics and added a reminder that the competition is just a few miles away from the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum, providing an opportunity to explore and celebrate the history of the sport while visiting the “birthplace of American skiing.”

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Fly High, Olympians

Posted on by farlane

UFO by Kevin Ryan

U.F.O. by Kevin Ryan

The Winter Olympics open tonight, and I thought this stunning shot from the Grand Haven Ski Bowl that Kevin took back in 2010 is perfect for wishing all participants high flying & safe landing!

See more in Kevin’s Sports gallery on Flickr.

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Farlane Friday: Fall Color from Sugar Loaf

Posted on by farlane

Fall Color from Sugar Loaf

Fall Color from Sugar Loaf by Andrew McFarlane

Every so often I like to sprinkle in one of my own photos on Michigan in Pictures, and today is one of those days! I took this photo on October, 22, 2018 at the long-shuttered Sugar Loaf Resort on the Leelanau Peninsula. The ski run was called Devil’s Elbow, and you can see Little Traverse Lake, Lake Michigan, and South Manitou Island & Pyramid Point in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (shout out to the Lakeshore for yesterday’s 51st birthday!)

While the color isn’t as spectacular this year as 2018, it’s still pretty nice. Also, fun fact: when I was 11 years old an out of control man ran me off the left side of the Elbow. I slid over 100′ down a very steep hill, broke my arm & had to be pulled out by a rope with a snowmobile by the Ski Patrol. You know I was right back at it as soon as the arm healed!!

If you want to read the long & depressing saga of the ski area, head over to Sugar Loaf Resort on Leelanau.com!

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Return to Suicide Hill

Posted on by farlane

Flying High at Suicide Hill

126 Suicide Jumps by PhotoYoop

I thought I’d bring back this photo from February of 2013 when Cory attended  the 126th annual ski jumping tournament at Suicide Bowl in Ishpeming, where skiers have been jumping annually since 1887! Suicide Hill  is run by the Ishpeming Ski Club. You can get more photos including shots from last weekend’s USA Nordic World Cup weekend on their Facebook!

Here’s a feature by Bob Garrett of Seeking Michigan about the history of Ishpeming’s Suicide Hill from a on Michigan in Pictures.

See more of Cory’s ski photos on Flickr & Be sure to follow him at PhotoYoop on Facebook too!

More skis and skiing on Michigan in Pictures.

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Early takeoff for the 2014 Michigan Ski Season

Posted on by farlane

Mulligans Hollow

Mulligans Hollow, photo by Kevin Ryan

Michigan’s ski resorts have enjoyed the best launch to the ski season in recent memory. The reason for this is simple: steady cold temperatures and lots of lots of “white gold.” mLive’s Weekend Snowmobile and Ski Report leads with a graphic showing 4-40 inches of snow on the ground across Michigan:

In the Upper Peninsula, the Lake Superior shoreline has over 10 inches of snow cover. The Keweenaw Peninsula mostly has over 20 inches of snow. The deepest snow cover in the Great Lakes is just east of Lake Superior in Canada. Satellite reports have the snow cover over 40 inches already. That area has seen heavy lake effect due to very cold air and a persistent west wind.

…Gaylord has had 17 inches more snow than normal, and most other cities are near normal to slightly above normal on seasonal snowfall. Traverse City, Sault Saint Marie, and Petoskey have already shoveled over 20 inches of snow. This time last year northern Michigan was well below normal on snowfall.

Read on for more including a graphic of snowfall this year, last year and average totals – Gaylord is almost 1/3 of the way to last year’s total!

Check background big and see more in Kevin’s skiing slideshow.

PS: In case you’re wondering, Mulligan’s Hollow where this photo was taken is located in Grand Haven and is 100% open already. If you follow that link you can see their webcam.

More skiing photos on Michigan in Pictures.

Early Start for the 2013 Michigan Ski Season!

Posted on by farlane

1126130-winchcat-crystal-mountain

New Cat on Buck, photo by Crystal Mountain Resort

While the blizzardy blowing going on this morning in northern Michigan and the U.P. isn’t the best for “over the rivering”, it is ensuring that Many of Michigan’s ski resorts get to enjoy their earliest opening date in tears with plenty of white gold!

If you’re looking to check out Michigan’s ski scene, head over to goskimichigan.com from the Michigan Snowsports Industries Association. They have updates from Michigan ski resorts on snow conditions & planned opening dates. Their Discover Michigan Skiing program will give you a beginner lesson, ski or snowboard rental equipment and a beginner-area ski lift pass or cross-country trail pass at 23 Michigan ski facilities! It’s available through January 31 and costs just $20 for cross-country skiing, $30 for downhill skiing and $40 for snowboarding. While you’re there, check Cold Is Cool – a promotion that gives every Michigan 4th Grader FREE skiing at participating Michigan resorts.

This photo from yesterday (Nov 26, 2013) shows Crystal Mountain’s new PistenBully Winch Cat roaring up the ski hill “Buck” – they open for skiing and riding Thanksgiving Day! Stay up to date with their ski & snow report.

More Michigan skiing on Michigan in Pictures!

Flying High at Suicide Hill

Posted on by farlane

Flying High at Suicide Hill

126 Suicide Jumps, photo by PhotoYoop

Cory writes that he attended the 126th annual ski jumping tournament Friday night at Suicide Bowl in Ishpeming, where skiers have been jumping annually since 1887! It’s run by the Ishpeming Ski Club. You can get more photos on their Facebook where I also found a video by Under the Radar Michigan.

Here’s a feature by Bob Garrett of Seeking Michigan about the history of Ishpeming’s Suicide Hill from a couple of years ago on Michigan in Pictures.

Check his shot out bigger and see more in his ski slideshow. Be sure to follow him on Facebook too!

More skis and skiing on Michigan in Pictures.

Goin’ skiing

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

DSC_9141copy2

DSC_9141copy2, photo by kensingt0n.

…and snowboarding. Have a great weekend!

Check this out big as this air and in Arnold’s 2/6/12 Jonas snowboarding at Pine Knob slideshow.

Banished Words: Epic Viral Fail

Posted on by farlane

Face Plant

Face Plant photo by Rudy Malmquist

Every year, Lake Superior State University puts together their list of Banished Words. Before we get to the current list, here’s a little back story:

In 1977, one year after Lake Superior State University Public Relations Director W.T. (Bill) Rabe released the first “banished words list,” he said that the international reaction from news media and the public told him “it would go on forever.”

Forever may be stretching it, but the annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness has been going strong since New Year’s Day 1976 and shows no signs of stopping. People from around the world have nominated hundreds of words and phrases such as “you know,” “user friendly,” “at this point in time,” and “have a nice day,” to be purged from the language.

Here’s a few choice words from their 2011 Banished Words List:

“Standards for using ‘epic’ are so low, even ‘awesome’ is embarrassed.” Mike of Kettering, Ohio.

It may have been word of the year in some wheelhouses, but “refudiate” wasn’t looked upon favorably by many who sent in nominations.

“Aren’t all Americans people? Every political speech refers to the ‘American’ people as if simply saying ‘Americans’ (or ‘people’) is not enough.” Deb of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

But words and phrases related to technology and the way we communicate dominated the list for 2011, including “viral,” “epic,” “fail,” and the use of websites “Facebook” and “Google” as verbs. “Viral” received the most nominations.

“Facebook is a great, addicting website. Google is a great search engine. However, their use as verbs causes some deep problems. As bad as they are, the trend can only get worse, i.e. ‘I’m going to Twitter a few people, then Yahoo the movie listings and maybe Amazon a book or two.” Jordan of Waterloo, Ont.

Lake Superior State University accepts nominations all year, and you can post comments about this year’s words (or any other words that you wish to refudiate) on the LSSU Banished Words Facebook.

Check this photo out too big to fail or in Rudy’s slideshow.